How much damage has my friend done?

I would watch that barrel, as 780 deg. F. is generally when steel turns a flat dark gray, and softer than spring hard, which is about 590 Deg. F. Generally, I use the range of 500 deg. F. to 590 deg F. when drawing for temper. 500 being good for wear parts and tools, and 590 for springs.

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It would be according to how long the barrel stayed in the heat, in order to know how hot it actually got. I don't think the water would do much, since we quench when drawing temper too. It would have to be red hot, to harden it with quenching. I'd shoot that in a vise, etc., though, for proofing.
 
I'm with skizzums here. I really don't think the heat hurt the barrel but rapid cooling in a water bath is my concern.
This will make metal brittle.
 
It has been widely reported that John Browning's .45 Auto pistol was fired 6,000 times over
a two day period and when it became too hot was simply dropped into a bucket of water.
US Army trials March 1910.No cracks no stoppages no harm no foul.
My bet is that it sizzled.
 
It has been widely reported that John Browning's .45 Auto pistol was fired 6,000 times over
a two day period and when it became too hot was simply dropped into a bucket of water.
US Army trials March 1910.No cracks no stoppages no harm no foul.
My bet is that it sizzled.
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All that you need for a "sizzle" is a surface (slide/barrel/etc) temperature of the boiling point of water. I would cite 100 C / 212 F, but the boiling point varies with altitude and atmospheric pressure. Where I'm sitting right now, for instance, the boiling point of pure H2O is actually 199 F; and when I visit some family an hour away, it drops to 194 F.

Most people aren't going to hang on to a pistol that's even 140 F, let alone 200 F.

And, of course, .45 Auto runs at significantly lower pressure.


Discussing the 1911 trials, in this context, is an Apples-and-Oranges comparison.
 
I know nothing about this subject, after reading the posts, I am a little educated.

My advice, ship barrel back to S&W, with note. And your phone details.
They are a good company.

If it was Glock, using lead bullets, would void any warranty, period.
 
Considering the possible results of using that barrel, if it were mine I would just replace the barrel and chalk the cost up to doing something really stupid (melting out a stuck bullet), and promise myself to do more thinking and less doing until I have educated myself.
 
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Discussing the 1911 trials, in this context, is an Apples-and-Oranges comparison
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The point was that the steel was quenched,and its actual temperature as was OP's reference has not been determined you would have to run a metal analysis to find out whether there was a change in the structure and if so how critical to the purpose.
Unless you know how hot the metal is and the quenching fluid temperature all you can do
is guess.
 
How long was the barrel in the lead bath? Did the bullet actually completely melt while in the barrel, or did the barrel expand faster than the bullet (and maybe the bullet melted a bit on the sides) and the bullet quickly fell out?
 
On simple carbon steel, "quenching" at below critical temperature has no effect-other than cooling the steel faster. It's the temperature that counts, not quenching- until you get into the "red hot" temperature area.
 
The OP said "780" degrees.
Cross reference that to this from the earlier article posted.
Embrittlement

Embrittlement occurs during tempering when, through a specific temperature range, the steel experiences an increase in hardness and a reduction in ductility, as opposed to the normal decrease in hardness that occurs to either side of this range. The first type is called tempered martensite embrittlement (TME) or one-step embrittlement. The second is referred to as temper embrittlement (TE) or two-step embrittlement.

One-step embrittlement usually occurs in carbon steel at temperatures between 230 °C (446 °F) and 290 °C (554 °F), and was historically referred to as "500 °F embrittlement." This embritttlement occurs due to the precipitation of Widmanstatten needles or plates, made of cementite, in the interlath boundaries of the martensite. Impurities such as phosphorus, or alloying agents like manganese, may increase the embrittlement, or alter the temperature at which it occurs. This type of embrittlement is permanent, and can only be relieved by heating above the upper critical temperature and then quenching again. However, these microstructures usually require an hour or more to form, so are usually not a problem in the blacksmith-method of tempering.

Two-step embrittlement typically occurs by aging the metal within a critical temperature range, or by slowly cooling it through that range, For carbon steel, this is typically between 370 °C (698 °F) and 560 °C (1,040 °F), although impurities like phosphorus and sulfur increase the effect dramatically. This generally occurs because the impurities are able to migrate to the grain boundaries, creating weak spots in the structure. The embrittlement can often be avoided by quickly cooling the metal after tempering. Two-step embrittlement, however, is reversible. The embrittlement can be eliminated by heating the steel above 600 °C (1,112 °F) and then quickly cooling.[17]
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As "Dirty Harry" would say:
"Do you feel lucky"? Well, do you?
 
That's what he was told but neither he nor you knows.There are no solid facts to make a good determination.
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And for that reason why would you take the risk of a possible catastrophic barrel failure?
Just askin!
 
This is all interesting.
I'm no Metallurgist.
I'm pretty sure the rules,temps,and charts that apply to carbon tool steels do not apply to stainless.
The barrels on the S+W M+P series,including the Shield,are stainless.

While 416R might be a pretty good guess,its still an assumption.

At this point,IMO,with all due respect for the good faith responses,its not a good idea to speculate about safety.

While the Shield (I believe) is rated for any pressure 9mm or 40 S+W,including any +P,
It is also designed to be as light as possible.That suggests to me it is NOT terribly overkill with mass of material.

What seems rather obvious to me is contact S+W customer service,talk to a tech rep,tell him/her the story,and follow their advice.

I'll spare you my opinion on whether the barrel is good/safe or no good/not safe,because my opinion is not worth betting your money or your blood.
 
Smith barrel

K..... Have him buy another barrel; Frame the current one and hang it on the wall with the notation "ONE OF THE DUMB THINGS I'VE DONE"
WILL
 
And for that reason why would you take the risk of a possible catastrophic barrel failure?
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A:I would certainly not.
This thread however is a classic exercise in idle speculation since no one seems to know the facts of the matter,OP wrote that his friend told him,he does not have concrete facts and his friend was not meticulous about recording his actions so this is all up in the air.
 
Hey all,

Thank you for all of the feedback and info. My friend decided not to risk a failure and order a new barrel just to be safe. The only problem with this method is that he cannot simply order a new barrel. It turns out that all shield parts are under "restriction" from smith and wesson. He will have to send the whole gun in and hope that they are willing to sell a barrel to him at that point. Apparently the Smith and Wesson rep he spoke to couldn't guarantee that he would be able to buy one even at that point in the process. So he potentially has a paperweight(as far as safety is concerned). He is still going to send it off just to see.

Just thought I'd share the update.
 
If he melted the lead in teh pot first, and when he put the barrel in, the lodged bullet contacted the melted lead, I have doubts as to barrel even having reached the temperature of the molten lead. I'm not a metals expert. I'm just a guy who solders a lot.
 
I honestly wouldn't trash the gun, I would just set up a safe testing area.....and test it. a lot. but I really really "think" that it will be just dandy.

I have torched off many a sight base off barrel using super hot torches, way hotter than lead temp and never noticed anything, not even the bluing changing. BUT, I didn't dump it on cold water afterwards, but I don't think anyone can definitively answer if that is really going to make difference at such a low temp. I think your "friend" needs to invest in a vice and do some backyard science from a good distance away. or he can sell me his "paperweight" for 175 bones and i'll finger it out myself.
 
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